In speech to Spanish parliament, pope demands respect for the dignity of all people

Pope Leo XIV is flanked by Francina Armengol, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain, as he arrives to meet with members of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies, in Madrid, Monday, June 8, 2026. Yara Nardi/Reuters Pool via AP hide caption toggle caption Yara Nardi/Reuters Pool via AP MADRID — Pope Leo XIV called Monday for newfound respect for the rights of migrants and international law during an address to the Spanish parliament that signaled a new level of acceptance of the Catholic Church in the public sphere in the overwhelmingly secular country. In the first papal address to the Spanish legislature, the American pope said a "moral renewal" was necessary in legislatures and public life to ensure respect for the inherent dignity of all people, including migrants, the unborn and the most vulnerable. "The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," Leo said. Speeches by popes to foreign legislatures are rare, since they can imply recognition of a religious leader by lawmakers. Pope Francis addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in 2015, and Pope Benedict XVI addressed his native German Bundestag in 2011. The mere fact that Leo was invited to speak at Las Cortes Generales, as the parliament is known, showed a level of acceptance for the Catholic Church in a political setting that might have been unthinkable even a few years ago. …